Remember Me
by Orton Addict
Summary: After a life changing journey to Iraq, Air Force staff sergeant Emily Orton returns home to her family with tragic guilt eating her alive. Can her brother and friends convince her to let go of the past? OCCena, Orton, Batista, Edge. REPOST
1. Chapter 1

**Wow. It's been a long long long time since anything has been posted on this site by me. Well, I'm finally back now that it is summer vacation and I have graduated my POS high school. This is actually a different, hopefully better version, of my story _Remember Me_. It has a different plot and concept so I hope you all enjoy!**

Chapter One

She looked at the slip of paper in her hand, confirming that the house in front of her was indeed the one she was looking for.

"Is this it?" the grungy cab driver asked as she nodded. "Pretty nice neighborhood. Who are you here to see?"

"My brother. How much do I owe you?" she asked in a small voice.

"Thirty-three seventy-five."

She reached into her purse and pulled out two twenty dollar bills and handed them to him. "Keep the change," she said climbing out of the taxi.

"Do you need help with your bags?"

"No, I can get them," she replied, dragging the large duffel bag that the Air Force provided her with out of the trunk and walking to the door of the house.

She sat her bag down and took a deep breath. It had been four years since she had last seen her older brother and even though he knew she was coming, she couldn't help but feel nervous.

She rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer. What if he wasn't home? What would she do then? After about a minute and a half of waiting, there was still no answer.

"Shit," she muttered, picking up her bag and beginning to walk back to the cab.

"Excuse me, miss? Can I help you?"

She turned around to see her big brother standing in the doorway.

"Emily?" he questioned, stepping forward to take a closer look.

"Randy," she said as she ran and leapt into his arms with tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm so glad to be home," she cried.

"I'm happy to have you home, baby girl," Randy replied, holding his sister as tight as he could. "Come on, Em. Let's go inside," she said and put her down before grabbing her duffel and heading inside his near million-dollar mansion.

"Just make yourself at home, Em. Do you want something to drink?"

"No, I'm fine," she said, taking a seat on the sofa.

"Okay. So, how are you doing?" he asked, sitting in the chair across from her.

"I'm the best I can be, considering the circumstances. It's been really hard."

"I can only imagine. Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't think I'm quite ready to talk about it now."

"That's fine. I'll make sure you have all the time you need. And you know you can stay here as long as you want, right?"

"Of course, Randy. I know I can always count on my big brother," she said, smiling for the first time since she had arrived.

"So, did you want to do something tonight? Go to a club; have dinner, anything like that?"

"Actually, I was kind of hoping that we could just stay in this evening."

"That's fine. Whatever my baby sister wants, my baby sister gets."

"You'll only think that way until the newness of my being here wears off."

"Yeah, probably," Randy joked as they heard a knock on the door. "Just stay here, I'll get it," he said and walked to the front door and saw the face of his best friend, John Cena through the window.

"Dude, what are you doing here?" Randy asked when he opened the door.

"Just thought I'd stop by and pay my best friend, RKO a visit."

"Well, John, this isn't exactly the best time."

"Really? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. It's just that Emily got in today and…"

"Your sister's here?" John interrupted and Randy nodded. "You think I could go in and see her? I think the last time I saw her was when we were in OVW."

"I guess so. She's in the living room."

"Thanks, man," he said, picking up the duffel bags that Randy had neglected to see.

"What are those for?" Randy asked, suspiciously.

"I was kinda hoping I could stay here while I was in town?"

"And how long is that?" Randy questioned, dreading the answer.

"Until we go back on the road again."

"That's five days, Cena! How can you just show up on my doorstep and expect to stay for five fucking days?"

"Fine, I guess I'll just go find a hotel," he said, disappointed.

"Absolutely not," Emily said, coming in from the living room. "You can't just kick your best friend out on the street, Randy. What are you thinking?"

"He's not going out on the street; he's going to a hotel," Randy replied.

"You know what I mean, Randy."

"I was thinking that maybe you might not want company tonight."

"The more the merrier. I would really appreciate it if you would let John stay."

"Yeah, Orton, let me stay," John pleaded.

"Fine, Cena, you can stay but don't make this a habit," Randy gave in.

"Great," John said, picking up his bags. "Where do I put my stuff?"

"Upstairs, second door on the left," Randy answered and watched him go upstairs before he turned to Emily. "Why did you want him to stay?"

Emily looked up at Randy, tearfully. "He reminds me of someone I'll never forget."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"So what are the Ortons' big plans tonight?" John asked, when he came back downstairs. "Going out partying, drinking, what?"

"Actually, John, we were planning on staying in tonight," Emily told him.

"That's cool, too," he said, being his always cheerful self. "But no matter what we do, we gotta get something to eat. I'm starving."

"Is pizza okay?" Randy asked, taking out his cell phone.

"Yeah, who doesn't like pizza?"

"What about you, Em?"

"Absolutely not," she said, looking from John to Randy. "When was the last time you guys had a home-cooked meal?"

"Christmas at mom and dad's," Randy answered.

"Yeah, that sounds about right," John replied.

"Well, you two just relax and I'll go start dinner," Emily said, walking toward the kitchen with John following.

"Hey, Em," he said, getting her attention. "Thanks for making your brother let me stay even though I should've found somewhere else."

"No problem. I thought maybe it would give us all a chance to catch up."

"Yeah. So, what have you been doing? The Air Force treating you well?"

"They were. My contract ended shortly after I got back from Iraq."

"You were in Iraq?" he asked as she nodded. "Wow. I'm surprised we didn't see you there last time were over there."

"I came back to the States in November: back to my old place in Virginia for about three months until my contract ended. Then I sold my place and put all of my stuff in storage and came home."

"Really? Why'd you decide to come stay with Randy when you could've gotten your own place?"

"I'm going through a really tough time now with some stuff and I needed my big brother," she said, tears once again welling up in her eyes.

"Hey, guys, I just got a call from Dave and Adam. They are really excited to see you, Em," Randy came in and said, before noticing Emily tearing up. "What's wrong, baby girl. You okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm just going to go start supper now," she said and made her way into the kitchen.

"Is she going to be alright?" John asked.

"Eventually she will be."

"What's wrong?"

"Dude, it's not really my place to tell you. She's just going through some shit right now. I'm going to go check on her. Make yourself at home."

John nodded as he watched Randy go into the kitchen. After about a minute, John crept slowly to the archway of the kitchen and stopped when he heard Randy talking and Emily crying.

"Come on, baby girl. It's all going to be okay," he heard Randy say to her.

"I just miss him so much, Randy."

"I know, Em. And you're going to for awhile. That's just how it is."

"Awhile? It's already been seven fuckin' months, Randy! How long is awhile?"

"Emily, you can't get over someone just like that. You have to have time to grieve. The more serious situations like this one will take more grieving time. Do you understand?"

"You don't understand. My life is completely empty without him."

"No it's not, baby girl."

"How can you say that, Randy? I have no job, no home of my own and I no longer have a husband. It can't get much emptier than that."

"You have your medical training. I'm sure Vince wouldn't mind hiring you as one of our traveling medics. As far as your home goes, this is your home. Here with me. I told you when you first got here that you could stay however long you wanted. And no, Brian may not be here anymore, but your family still is and now John is here too. Tomorrow, Dave and Adam will be. You have more family than you know," Randy told her but she didn't answer. "Listen, baby girl, I miss Brian, too. He was one of my best friends and if I could've been there in Virginia with you, I would've and you know that. The point is you can't give up just because he's not here anymore."

There was silence for awhile, so long that John thought Randy might be getting ready to head out of the kitchen.

But then Emily spoke.

"I'm sorry that I'm putting you through this, Randy. I really am. You shouldn't get all of the drama that comes along with my staying here."

"Emily, I knew that I would have to deal with this when I asked you to come and stay with me. And you know what? I wouldn't take back my offer no matter what."

"Thank you, Randy," she said, after a pause. "I'm so glad you're my big brother."

"Well, I'm proud to be your big brother. I have a beautiful, courageous, intelligent baby sister and I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world."

"I bet John thinks I'm an emotional wreck."

"No, he doesn't. And even if he did, he doesn't know what kind of hell you've been through and has no right to judge you. Now, let's just order some kind of food so you don't' have to cook."

"No, I want to cook for you two. Go sit down with John," Emily said.

"If you're sure you're going to be alright."

"I'm fine, Randy. Now go," she ordered as Randy began to walk back to the living room and John scrambled to back as well.

He had just sat down when Randy appeared.

"Everything okay?" John asked him.

"She'll be okay."

"Well, I'm going to get a drink. Want anything?"

"A beer's fine," Randy said and sat down as John walked into the kitchen.

"So what are we having?" John asked Emily, sneaking up behind her.

"Good Lord, John. Don't scare me like that," Emily gasped. "We're having lemon chicken and whatever else I can find in Randy's bare cabinets."

"Sounds good. Just so you know, if you ever need to talk and Randy's not around, you can always talk to me."

"Thanks for the offer, John. I just might take you up on that someday."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Boys! Supper's ready!" Emily hollered into the living room.

"Are you sure Em can cook?" John asked Randy.

"Hell yeah she can. Next to mom, she's the best cook in the family," Randy replied as they walked in the dining room to see enough food for an army.

"All of this was in my cabinets?" Randy questioned, baffled.

"Believe it or not, yeah. I'll have to go grocery shopping tomorrow because I basically used everything you had," Emily told them as she set out the silverware.

"Well, let's not just stand here. I'm ready to eat," John said, hungrily and sat down and began to dig in.

"Hold on," Randy stopped him. "Grace first. And since you were the first to begin eating, you say it."

"I never knew you were so religious, Orton."

"Just say it," Randy demanded as he and Emily sat down at the table.

"Dear Lord," John began. "First and foremost we want to thank you for bringing Miss Emily Orton back safely from the dangers of Iraq. We also want to thank you for every soldier who has made the ultimate sacrifice and for every one who is still fighting for our nation. Thank you, Lord, for everything you've ever given us and blessed us with. Amen."

"Amen" echoed around the table as John looked up at Emily who still had her eyes closed and her head bowed.

"You alright, Em?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, wiping her eyes. "Let's eat."

* * *

Later that night, Emily sat up in her room with a small photo of a man in a uniform in her hand.

The picture had been taken nearly three years earlier and was quite worn and bent around the edges from her carrying it around with her everywhere she went.

She slowly traced the man's face with the tip of her manicured nail. "Brian, you have no clue how lost I am without you," she whispered as there was a knock on the door.

She quickly hid the picture underneath the pillow and turned toward the door. "Come in."

"Hey," John said as he walked inside.

"Hey," she replied and smiled.

"I just, uh, wanted to come up and say thank you fro dinner and, uh, making Randy let me stay," he said, quite nervously.

"No problem, John."

"Okay. Well, I guess I'll talk to you in the morning then," he said and began to walk to the door and she reached under the pillow for the picture.

"Actually," John said, turning back around just in time to see her hide the picture behind her back. "What's that?" he asked, curiously.

"Nothing. Just and old photograph," she said, pulling it out and showing it to John.

"Oh, it doesn't look that old. Just worn. Who is it?"

"Lieutenant Brian Hamilton of the U.S. Army."

"The Army, huh? I didn't think the branches really hung out with each other."

"We're all fighting for the same cause. There's no reason why we shouldn't get along with each other. Of course there's always going to be that rivalry between the branches over who is best at what we do. But you can't let that get in the way of what you are sent out to do."

"So, what's so special about this guy? I mean, why do you have his picture?"

"Brian was my best friend. Very, very special to me."

"Was?"

"He was killed in action."

"I'm so sorry, Em. Is this the tough time you've been talking about?" John asked, even though he knew from listening in on her and Randy's conversation earlier.

"Yeah. Brian, he was my life. He was my protector, well, when Randy wasn't around, and I'm the one that kept him stable and out of trouble. I guess, we kinda protected each other, just in different ways," she said in sort of a dreamlike state.

"How long did you know him?"

"A long time. He was Randy's best friend during high school. Of course, he was just as obnoxious and self absorbed just like Randy. I couldn't stand him. But he was always over at our house, even when Randy wasn't here. He always used to love to listen to our dad tell old wrestling stories when he was home."

"A wrestling fan, huh? Did he ever want to follow Randy's footsteps and get into the business?"

"He did, yeah. But he came from a not so wealthy family and he knew that there were no guarantees with wrestling and he wasn't the college type so he did a sure thing. The Army. He joined right after high school. I didn't see him for about two years, when I graduated from high school. That's when I…never mind."

"Wait, that's when you what?" John asked, eagerly. "You can't just leave me hanging."

"No, I can't," she replied, finally snapping out of her daze.

"Come on, Em. You can tell me."

She sighed and then looked down at the picture. "That's when I fell in love with him."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

John hated the way he felt. He hated the twinge of jealousy he felt in his heart toward Emily's deceased lover and the fact that she had those feelings for Brian and not for him.

"Really?" John finally spoke. "How did he feel about you?" As if he didn't already know.

"The same. He confessed to me that he had felt that way for a long time. We dated for about a year and a half. Then he asked me to marry him . And I did," she paused. "Then he was killed two years later."

"I don't know what to say, Em, except that I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I suppose I should just get over it."

"It takes a long time to get over something like that."

"You know, Randy said the same thing," she said, looking at the clock. "Speaking of which, where is Randy?"

"Downstairs, passed out on the the couch."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"Not in the drinking sense, though. But, I am pretty tired from the trip over here so I think I'm going to head to bed," John said, walking over and hugging Emily. "Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning. Thanks again," he said and walked out the door.

"No. Thank you, John," Emily whispered, placing a kiss on the picture and going to bed.

* * *

The next morning, John and Randy woke to the smell of bacon and eggs coming from the kitchen.

"Your sister cooking again?" John asked as he met Randy in the hallway.

"Apparently," Randy yawned as they heard a burst of laughter from downstairs.

"Who else is here?"

"Dave, Stacy and Adam all caught a flight here this morning and unlike you are staying in a hotel."

"You are making your girl stay in a hotel?"

"She's not my girl, Cena."

"You want her to be."

"Yeah, but SHE doesn't want to be. That's the problem."

"Oh, good. You guys are up," Emily said, walking up the stairs. "There's breakfast downstairs for you all. Dave, Adam and Stacy are all in the dining room."

"Thanks a lot, sis," Randy said and gave her a peck on the cheek.

Randy and John then headed down to the dining room to see their friends gathered together and enjoying each other's company"

"Well, look who decided to join us," Dave turned to look at them. "It's only noon."

"Rough day yesterday,"John told them. "So, did you all leave enough food for us?"

"Yeah, there should be enough," Adam said. "Emily cooks enough food for a goddamn army."

"How you doing, Stace?" Randy asked her as he sat in the chair beside her.

"Pretty good. Your sister is hilarious. Why haven't we ever been introduced?" she asked as John started chatting with Dave and Adam.

"She's been really involved in her career and her husband for like the past four years. The Air Force took her all over the country and sometimes the world."

"Her husband? She didn't mention anything about him."

"He was killed. She doesn't like to talk about it."

"Oh my God."

"Yeah, but she's trying to get past that. And I'm trying to help her. That's why I asked you all here. I think that if she gets new people in her life that it will help her out a lot."

"That's great, Randy. But what is going to happen when you guys are all on the road. Are you just going to leave her here by herself?"

"I called Vince last night and I told him about my Em's medical training and he said that there is a spot for her in the WWE. And who knows, she may even be able to become a Diva. Let's face it, now that you're gone, the women's division needs a little class," Randy said flirtatiously as Stacy giggled.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Orton."

"Are you sure?" Randy asked, hopefully.

"Positive."

"Hurry up and eat, guys, or we won't have much time today," Emily said, walking back in the dining room.

"Much time for what?" John asked, taking his attention away from his food.

"They didn't tell you?" she asked as John and Randy shook their heads. "I've managed to get some last minute tickets to Six Flags today."

"That's awesome," Randy said as he filled up his plate with some of the delicious food that was starting to get cold.

"It would be even more awesome if you guys would hurry your asses up and get moving. I'm going to take a shower and you all better be done by the time I get out," she said and walked into the bathroom.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Later that day, the six friends arrived in Eureka, Missouri at Six Flags St. Louis. They split into groups; Randy with Stacy, Dave with Adam, and John with Emily.

"We'll meet up at around 6:30 at the front of the park," Emily said to the departing people.

"So where do you want to hit up first?" John asked once they were alone.

"How about The Superman?"

"You do know that a girl got her feet cut off on a similar ride, right?"

"Honey, I've been to war and back. I'm not scared of a 200 foot drop of a ride."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Let's get in line then."

They walked to the entrance gate to the ride and saw a line that would take at least forty-five minutes to get to the front of it.

"So what about you?" Emily asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you leery about going on this ride after hearing that the girl got her feet cut off?"

"To tell you the truth, yeah, I am."

"It doesn't look all that bad," she said as screams filled the area and the ride rushed back down to the bottom starting position.

"No, not at all," he gulped.

They waited and waited through the line, a couple of people coming up to John and asking for autographs. All the while, John grew more and more nervous until finally it was their turn.

"You two will be in number two," one of the workers said, pointing to one side of the hexagonal tower.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" John asked, as she walked to the indicated row of seats.

"Why? Are you chickening out?"

"No, of course not," he said as they buckled themselves in. "This ride is really close to the building," he observed.

"It'll be fine," Emily replied, chuckling as the worker came around and checked to make sure they were fastened in. A few seconds later they started to move up, and up, and up.

"Holy shit," John muttered as he looked down.

"Keep your feet up so they don't get cut off," Emily joked.

"Thanks a lot, Em. Damn, is it ever going to stop going up?"

It eventually did and it seemed like they sat at the top of the ride forever. Then it happened…the sound of the other sides dropping surrounded them.

"Oh fuck. Oh fuck," John repeated numerous times before they dropped. The air compressed so much against his chest that he couldn't even scream. The ride came within feet of the building he had mentioned before and they finally slowed.

"That…was…fucking awesome!" Emily yelled once she caught her breath.

"Oh…yeah…awesome," John repeated, noticing himself shaking like a leaf.

"That was such a rush. I wonder if the others are going to try it. I bet Randy would love it. What do you think? Should we go on it again," Emily rambled on endlessly.

"That's okay, Em. I think I'm good," he replied as his stomach finally returned to it's place. "So what now?"

After a few more rides John and Emily walked up to the front of the park to meet the others.

"I didn't know you were so uncomfortable about roller coasters, John," she said as they passed the multitudes of people.

"There's just so much that can go wrong with them. That's what freaks me out. Like The Superman. What if it didn't stop when it came down? Or if it got stuck up at the top?"

"You worry way too much, John. You gotta take risks in life because you never know when it's going to be over."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

It wasn't long after the group met up at the front of Six Flags that they decided it was time to head back home. Everyone was tired from walking and felt the need to just relax the rest of the night.

After deciding that it was a bit too early to head back to the hotel, Dave, Adam and Stacy agreed to come back to Randy's house to hang out for a little bit. While decisions were being made for dinner, Emily excused herself up to her room.

Today had been a good day. She really enjoyed the time she spent alone with John, but it seemed as though her mind wasn't able to get away from the grief she had been experiencing. She sat on her bed and pulled out the photo of Brian that was tucked away under her pillow.

_Flashback_

_Emily proudly walked across the stage, the small slip of paper in her hand. She had done it. She was done with high school. She looked out into the crowd. There was her dad with the video camera, smiling with tears in his eyes. His little girl was growing up right in front of him. _

_Her mom was next to him, proud also and crying tears of joy. She always seemed to overreact and make everything seem so much bigger than what it really was. _

_Then, the most important person, at least to Emily, her brother. He had recently been dishonorably discharged from the Marines and had served a short sentence in military prison and Emily wasn't sure he was going to be able to make it. But he did. _

_His eyes connected with hers before turning to the person beside him. Emily had to take a close look to realize who it was. Her jaw clenched tightly when she did. Brian Hamilton._

_She finally made her way back to her seat and sat down and watched the rest of the ceremony to conclude. With silly string, confetti and graduation caps flying through the air, Emily fought to find her way to her family. It wasn't long before she spotted her big brother and ran and jumped into his arms. _

"_I'm so proud of you, baby girl," he said, holding her tightly. _

"_I was afraid that you weren't going to make it," she said, pulling away._

"_Nothing could keep me away. Not even jail."_

"_I leave your brother for three months and look what happens."_

_Emily looked next to Randy to see Brian clad in his military uniform. His hazel eyes were shining in the brightly lit auditorium, his dirty blond hair was unkempt._

"_I didn't expect you to be here," Emily told him._

"_Why not? I'm part of the family, aren't I?" Brian replied, giving a smirk much like his best friend's._

_She shook her head and met up with her parents before they left and headed back to their home. By eleven thirty, her parents had called it a night and all of Emily's friends had gone home from the small get together to celebrate their graduation. _

_Emily was nowhere near ready to go to bed and neither were Randy and Brian. She walked down to the furnished basement and saw her brother and his friend sitting at the small bar._

"_Why the hell did you go AWOL? What possessed you to do that?" she heard Brian ask. _

"_I don't know," her brother replied before knocking back a shot of Jack Daniels. "I guess I realized that going into the Marines wasn't the right thing for me."_

"_I knew you rushed into it. You let those recruiters get into your head and you let them think that it was the best thing for you."_

"_Like you have any room to talk. You're in the Army for three more years."_

"_But, Randy, I was working at a gas station making minimum wage and doing nothing with my life. I had no money to go to any type of trade school or anything and I just barely graduated from high school, there's no way I would've gotten any scholarships. Just because it was the best decision for me, doesn't mean it was for you," Brian explained as he poured each of them another shot._

_Emily decided to make her presence known and walked up and sat beside her brother who just brought out another glass and poured his sister a shot. He knew what she wanted. While Emily was a straight 'A' student and on the honor roll, she was also known for her sometimes excessive partying. And Randy and Brian were the ones mostly responsible for that. _

"_So, Em, what are you going to do now that you're out of high school, besides become an alcoholic?" Brian asked, sarcastically._

"_Haha, very funny, Bri," she laughed. "I don't…"_

"_She's going to college and getting a better education," Randy interrupted. "She's going to be a lawyer or something that makes her a lot of money."_

_Emily drank the amber liquid in her glass."Actually, Randy, I was thinking about going into the Air Force."_

_End Flashback_

Randy was so mad when she told him that. Brian on the other hand was incredibly supportive. He didn't, however, want her to make a decision she would regret like her brother.

Emily sighed as tears stung her eyes once again and then stood up and began digging in her suitcase that had yet to be unpacked. She removed all of the clothes until she spotted the bottle of Jack Daniels.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys here's another chapter of _Remember Me_. I hope you like it. Please let me know what you think, I haven't been getting much feedback so if you could do that, it'd be great! I love to hear what you think!**

Chapter Seven

"Emily's been up there for awhile," John observed to Randy as they stood in the kitchen.

"Yeah, I know," Randy replied, retrieving drinks from the fridge. "Take these to them. I'm going to go check on her."

John nodded and took the drinks into the living room to Stacy, Dave and Adam while Randy mad his way upstairs. He walked down to Emily's room and knocked softly but there was no answer.

"Baby girl?" he questioned, opening the door slightly.

He peeked inside and saw his baby sister sleeping quietly in her bed. He walked over to the side of her bed and pulled the covers over her before looking at the nightstand.

There was a picture of the man that was his brother-in-law and next to it was an empty Jack Daniels bottle.

Randy sighed as his mind floated back to the night of Emily's high school graduation.

"_So, Em, what are you going to do now that you're out of high school, besides become an alcoholic?" _Brian had asked her.

Worry filled Randy's heart. How long had his sister been doing this?

"Hey, Orton? Is she okay?" Randy heard John's voice coming down the hall and quickly hid the bottle in the top drawer of the nightstand.

"She's fine. Just sleeping," Randy said as John came in the room.

"Wow, she must've been tired," John laughed.

"Yeah, I'll be down in a minute," Randy told him, shortly as John turned around and left.

Randy left a small note on the nightstand for Emily before kissing her forehead and leaving the room.

**-The Next Morning-**

It was about one o'clock in the afternoon when Emily woke up. She turned her aching head to her nightstand to see a note from Randy:

_We need to talk ASAP!_

_Randy_

Emily sighed and slowly got out of bed and headed to her brother's room to see him sitting in bed, watching a home video. She sat down on his bed without saying a word and began watching the video also

"_And this, my friends, is why you are all here," Randy slurred from behind the camera as he pointed it toward Emily. "My little sister, now twenty-one years of age, Emily Claire Orton. Happy Birthday, Em!"_

_Emily took her attention away from her drink and looked at the camera and waved. _

"_Aren't you glad you don't have to sneak around to drink now?" Randy asked. _

"_It's definitely a hell of a lot easier," she laughed as Brian came up and grabbed her waist._

"_And this is the guy who has been banging my sister, Mr. Army, Brian Hamilton."_

"You had to have been drunk, Randy, because you never would've had said that when you were sober," Emily smiled as Randy continued to watch silently.

_Ignoring Randy's comment, Brian took Emily's hand and motioned for Randy to follow him with the camera. He took her up to where the DJ was and took the microphone. _

"_Can I have everyone's attention, please?" Brian asked into the mic. Once everyone was quiet, he turned his attention to Emily. "Baby, we have known each other for a long time. And, unfortunately, most of those years, we spent strongly disliking one another. But, we finally found our way to each other. And I don't ever want that to change," he said and got down on one knee._

"_Holy fucking shit! We're seeing a mother fucking marriage proposal!" Randy said, turning the camera to his face and then turning it back to Brian and Emily. _

"_Emily Claire Orton, will you marry me?" Brian asked. _

"_Emily dropped the beer that was in her hand and collapsed to her knees before squeaking out a "Yes."_

Randy picked up the remote and stopped the tape. "I never thought I would see the day that you guys would get married."

"Me neither," Emily said, softly. "Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Randy took a deep breath before turning in his bed to face her. "Last night I came into your room to check on you because you had been up here for a long time. I found the empty bottle of Jack."

Emily nodded, looking down at the floor.

"You want to tell me what's going on?"

"If you're asking me if I have a drinking problem, the answer is no," she said, defensively. "I just got a little depressed, and I thought a shot of Jack sounded good. It just got a little carried away."

"Drinking isn't the way to deal with these things."

"Randy, I don't need you telling me how to handle my husband's death. I am a big girl, I know how to handle my problems and I don't need you holding my hand every bit of the way."

"All I am saying is that maybe you should talk about things before you resort to that," Randy said, calmly.

But something snapped inside of Emily at this point. "And who in the hell am I supposed to talk to, huh?!" she asked, beginning to yell. "Is there anybody in this house, in our family that has been over there to that hellhole? Has anyone lost the one they love to a nine year old with a grenade? No one has experienced the shit that I have! You couldn't even begin to fathom what I have been through. You didn't see people being brought in every single fucking day, bleeding to death and knowing that you can't do a damn thing to help them!"

By this time, tears were streaming down her face. Randy didn't know what to do. His little sister was breaking down right in front of him.

"You just don't understand, Randy," she cried, softly. "The doctors would call me over and tell me to help prep the soldiers for surgery when they really didn't have any chance of surviving. I would go back to my bunk every night and bawl because I just couldn't seem to get the blood off of my hands. It was always there. It still is," she said, collapsing into her brother's chest.

Randy couldn't do anything but hold her. He looked up, finally noticing John in the doorway and wondering how long he had been there.

Emily soon felt a hand running up and down her back. She shivered at the touch and turned to see John looking at her with comforting eyes. She suddenly felt troublesome; a nuisance. These two guys had a lot better things to do than tend to her frequent breakdowns. She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes before excusing herself to her room.

"How much did you hear?" Randy asked his best friend.

"From the time she began yelling," John answered, feeling somewhat ashamed for eavesdropping.

"That's the most she's opened up since she came back to the States. Up until five minutes ago, I never knew what happened to Brian," Randy said, burying his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry, man," John said, clapping a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"It's alright. I'm more worried about Em."

"I can go talk to her if you want me to."

"You can if you want to, but I doubt it'll do any good."

John got up and walked into Emily's room, closing the door behind him. She was lying down on her bed, her face buried in her pillow and her body shaking, no doubt from her crying.

John sat on her bed and set his hand on the small of her back. She immediately lifted her head and looked at him. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to talk to you. You sounded like you need someone to talk to."

"I know you heard what I just said to Randy. You wouldn't understand. Now, leave me alone."

"I could try to understand," John said softly. "I want to understand. I don't like seeing you like this."

She slowly sat up and pulled her knees to her chest. John's eyes couldn't help but travel to the wedding band that she still wore. It was a platinum band with two diamonds embedded in it.

"When he put this ring on my finger, the first thing that came to my mind was how in the hell did he afford it," she said, noticing John's eyes on the ring.

"Apparently he wanted a ring that matched the beauty of his bride no matter what the cost," John replied, absentmindedly as Emily's cheeks turned a dark shade of pink.

"Will you please talk to me?" John asked. "Maybe it'll help you cope."

She sat silently, not looking at John for about five minutes. He finally felt defeated and began to walk toward the door.

"Wait, John," she stopped him. "I'll talk."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

John turned back around to face her. "You'll talk?" he questioned, making sure he had heard her right.

Emily nodded, tears brimming her eyes. John sat back down on the bed and looked at his hands, waiting for her to begin talking. She took a minute to compose herself, taking a deep breath and wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I was sent over to Iraq a little more than a year and a half ago. Brian was already over there and had been for six months. I had been to Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea, but I had never been to Iraq and from what Brian had told me, I was kind of nervous about going. And as soon as I stepped foot onto that military flight from Virginia, I knew something bad was going to happen."

"There was no way you could get out of it?" John asked.

"You don't know much about the military, do you? I didn't even have five years under my belt. That doesn't pull much weight. Plus I didn't want Brian over there alone with the feeling I had."

Emily became silent and stared at the curtain covered window. John began to think that maybe she had changed her mind about opening up, but then she took another deep breath and continued.

"But, I just had to suck it up. It was my job. I got over there and Brian had pulled some strings so that we'd at least be able to see each other everyday. And we did," she said, smiling slightly at the memories. "We saw each other everyday for eleven months until he died. October 29, 2006. That date will be etched in my mind forever."

She paused again, the tears overwhelming her. "I don't know if I can do this, John. You'll hate me once you find out. Randy would hate me."

"Em," he said, moving beside her and placing a comforting arm around her shaking shoulders. "Randy could never hate you; I know that for a fact. I also know that I could never, ever hate you."

"But you don't understand. It's my fault that Brian's gone."

"Oh, baby, no it isn't. You can't blame yourself for something that some idiot did."

"He was just out for a routine walk. It was about seven in the morning and it was just him and five other guys. A boy came up to them, about nine or ten years old. The other guys thought nothing of it. After all, it wasn't unusual for kids to do that and we've always been nice to the kids unless there are suspicions. Brian had his suspicions as soon as the kid walked up to them. The other guys he was with were not as experienced as he was. He had anywhere from five to seven years experience on them. He tried to tell them to move on; to keep going. They didn't listen. Before they had time to react, a grenade was on the ground in front of them."

John began to regret pushing her to talk. He could tell it was taking everything out of her to tell him this. At the same time, however, he knew that she couldn't keep it bottled up inside.

"I was back at the base, just keeping tabs on the wounded soldiers. I remember I was feeling really uneasy because it had been quiet for three or four days and I knew it couldn't last. Sure, enough, everyone with medical experience was called to the front for incoming wounded."

* * *

_She ran as fast as she could to where the injured troops were being brought in. "What's the deal, Marcus?" she asked the Army Sergeant who was one of her husband's best friends._

"_A grenade. Three dead, two with lost limbs but they're being taken care of. And one is critically injured."_

"_What's wrong?"_

"_It's not good, Em," he said, removing his hat. "It's Brian."_

"_No," she told him, matter of factly. "No. It's not."_

"_I'm sorry, Emily."_

_She looked around and finally spotted the love of her life. She ran to his side, her heart almost pounding out of her chest. His sandy blond hair was stained red and his normally almost golden eyes were dark. _

"_Baby," she said, holding his head in her arms. _

"_Emily," he whispered weakly. "I'm sorry."_

"_Sorry for what, Brian? You have nothing to be sorry for."_

"_I'm sorry for not giving you the family you always wanted," he said, the little light in his eyes slowly fading as Emily's were overcome with tears._

"_Brian, don't give up, please. You're going to be okay, baby," she cried before looking over to Marcus who had come to stand beside her. "Isn't there anything we can do?" she asked him out of earshot of Brian._

_He sadly shook his head, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder before leaving her and her husband alone for their last few minutes together. She looked back down at Brian, his head still in her arms. _

"_I love you, Emily Claire, forever. Don't forget that," he said, before the light in his eyes burned out._

* * *

**So, this is a sad chapter, but it had to be done. I actually almost cried while writing it because it is a very realistic situation nowadays. Anyway, please review. This story is one that is very personal for me and I would love to hear what you all think of it.**


End file.
